How many Sq Metres a day can you lay natural stone?

[sWe]

Ceramics are much easier to work than stone, as they're not usually as sensitive to staining and such, and they're almost always caliberated. You can also use other types of tools on them.

 

[MICK the Tiler]

WOW!! Large Format limestone for a first Timer on a screed as well, Hows the back holding up? Just work clean slow and get it right the first time. You won't get any extra praise from anyone for speed but you will get praise if the job comes out SMICK!!! you will also get more work as well. Hang in there and don't think that being slow is bad because with stone "SLOW IS THE GO"

Keep us posted.

 

[JOHNNYCLARKE]

Sorry couldnt get back to you till now.
Already talked about speed, which only comes with practice or taking short cuts.

Very hard to say how much a very experienced stone fixer would lay in a day
but if the stone is honed and diamond sawn square edge, my guts would fix approx 9- 12 sq mts a day if not cutting at all.
Record I think is 17.00 sq mts.
But if youre cutting as well and depending how awkward the cuts this gets reduced alot.
There will be guys on this site that will say they can lay far more than this and indeed they can and so could my employees if accuracy not the key issue, but we lay stone with a 2.50 mt long box section straight edge and I dont expect to see any gaps under it or any lips at all.( a lip is 1mm or more!!)
If the stone has pillowed or antiqued or distressed edges you can lay more but be wary about sticking a level on the top of stone, as this is uneven.
What is more important is to marry up the distressed edge as this thickness can vary.
If we get a subfloor floor that is very good, with distressed stone I cut a length of wood the thickness of stone and optimum bed and lay everything to that height
by running the block of wood around the edge of piece to be fixed.
You cannot do this with honed material.
When any bedding stone we put a very thin bed of adhesive on screed and on back of tile and in between lay out the main adhesive.You then push/tap stone down until you have 100% bed underneath and level floor.
This is one of the key points to speed.

The more experienced tiler will rarely need to pick up a stone and add more adhesive underneath and there will be little excess squelching out around tiles.

It is far easier to lay a level floor where you know that your level has to read level all ways.
In reality this is not always possible due to finished floor heights etc in adjoining rooms and in reallty it is only experience that allows you to bend floors with visual no lips.

There are methods of fixing with sand/cement/adhesive on screeds that could vary up to 20mm out of level but I wouldnt try that yet.
you can never guatrantee any adhesive if you mix anything with it even though it may work perfectly well.

There is alot to learn about stone fixing but if you stick at it and your quality is good and you get known for that , you can possibly cut out some of the competion you are getting in the ceramic game.

I represent a number of top flight stone suppliers and go to see stone floors that have gone wrong for one reason or another and I am amazed at some of it.

It is not just the laying,but the drying/sealing/ care when fixing not to damage/upkeep etcc.

There are many ceramic tilers trying to lay stone now and it simply is not the same game.
Now porcelain is very popular with rectified edges people are having to become alot more careful with their fixing and this has always been the case for stone.

Sounds like you have a great opportunity here. The only worry might be that the developer didnt want to pay professional stonefixers to do the job.
What does he expect from you.
You should never do work as day rate as this opens you up to alot of griping as to what you have done for your money.

You should charge a reasonable rate maybe less a bit if he knows youre not time served but you will not earn what an experienced stone fixer will.The tiled result should be the same though.

That comes with time and I am astonished how many times I hear newish tilers complaining that they are not earning what theyve heard they should.
It is a bit of an affront for anyone to assume they can earn what proper time served person can earn as soon as theyve done a training course.

It takes a few years flat out to get up to speed and after that you can start taking short cuts knowing you have the knowledge to get out of a problem.


Maybe these tiles courses are giving out too much optimism just to get people to sign up.

None of the above is directed at you Mikey.
Just an observation

JOHNNY

NB
Always base your quote on a flat, level, dry screed.
I get 2.2 sq mts of stoneset thickbed white per sq mt on a reasonable subfloor with approx 6-7mm bed.
With solid bed fixing you can use loads of adhesive if levels right.
Strange but Ardex products have far greater coverage than Weber I use but cost alot more.
Avoid pourable thickbed adhesive if using honed material.Tiles sink in it !!